Modded Forte 1's vs. Stock Cornwall II's

[RT FAN]

I am currently using CW II's in my NYC apartment & to tell you the truth they are overkill. I sit barely 8 feet from them and doubt if I ever run more than 1 watt through them. They still sound good to my ears, but having done the Crites treatment to my Chorus II's I know they could sound better. The wife has never been a big fan of the CW's due to their size, "they really are huge speakers.", although she enjoys the sound quality. Also the oak oil doesn't match any other furniture in the apartment.

I have a pair of stock Walnut Forte 1's that I could swap in for them.( A better match for the decor as well as a smaller footprint.) Now having done a side by side between these 2 pair of speakers, the Cornwalls won hands down. So I am wondering, if I bought new crossovers & diaphragms for the Forte would they equal or exceed my stock CW's? The Fortes would be cheaper to upgrade & would keep SWMBO happy as well. Is this trade a no brainer, killing 2 birds with one stone? Could I actually improve my sound quality & make the wife happy in one fell swoop?

The CW's would be relegated to a basement rig, although they would get to wear a nice pair of Heresy II's for hats. At some point the CWs would get the Crites upgrades as well. Thanks for any advice, I am pretty sure both the Fortes & the CW's are 1987 vintage.

[moray james]

You have a PM. Best regards Moray James.

[Adoremusic]

No, I don't think, even with the upgrades, that the forte will equal the Cornwall. However, if I was pressed for room I could easily live with the forte. My Cornies are stock and my forte II's have new xovers and titanium tweeter and midrange diaphragms and I still much prefer the Cornwalls.

[RT FAN]

Moray James, thanks I replied to your PM.

Adore, thanks for your observations, I would have thought the Fortes with the upgrades would have supplanted the CW's. However the Cornwalls are a tremendous speaker, not easily bested. In my limited listening space, the results might vary, as I said the CWs have no room to breathe where they are. Thanks guys.

[Cut-Throat]

Don't rule out Klipschorns. They tuck neatly into a corner and take up less room than other speakers. I am guessing that your Cornwalls are in the middle of the wall and take up more living space. My Khorns take up far less room than the Belles that I had. If you've got a couple good corners there is a lot of wasted space that is never used, that could accomodate Khorns. I beleive that a Khorn Footprint takes up fewer Square inches than a Cornwall also.

[RT FAN]

I like the way you think Cut-Throat! You are right about the set up of the CW's & in a 1 bedroom apartment they do take up some real estate. Not only is there no room for K-horns , I am sad to say I have never even heard a pair although I have been a Klipsch owner for over 20 years. I would like to own a pair someday, but as of right now I am just working with the pairs of Klipsch speakers I already own.

[Cut-Throat]

I like the way you think Cut-Throat! You are right about the set up of the CW's & in a 1 bedroom apartment they do take up some real estate. Not only is there no room for K-horns , I am sad to say I have never even heard a pair although I have been a Klipsch owner for over 20 years. I would like to own a pair someday, but as of right now I am just working with the pairs of Klipsch speakers I already own.

It should be very easy to get an audition of Khorns from a forum member. There are probably quite a few located within an hour's drive of you. Put the word out in a separate post. Once you hear them, you may try to make room for them. You can always hear mine if you ever come to Minneapolis.